Imagine a ballroom dance; do you see? Elegantly dressed ladies accompanied by gentlemen in tuxedos twirling around a beautiful and exquisite ballroom. At the end of the 18th century, ballroom dancing began in England. Initially owned exclusively by the upper classes, but quickly adopted by the lower classes a little later.
The Quickstep is a popular dance in many ballroom dance competitions and began in the 1920s in England. The dance evolved from the Foxtrot, the Charleston, and a couple of other dances, and has undergone many changes over the years. Although some dancers still execute the dance slowly, today the dance is faster than it was in the beginning. In fact, it is danced to the faster beat of ballroom dances. Another change from the beginning of the dance is the use of more syncopation in the steps. Three characteristic dance figures of the Quickstep are the chases, where the feet meet, the lockstep and the quarter turns. What’s distinctive about the Quickstep is an up-and-down, up-and-down rocking motion performed at a rapid pace.
First Basic Step. Lead dancer steps right foot – slow, then to the left side – fast (feet should now be parallel), right foot meets left foot – fast, finally stepping left foot to the side. new – slow. He continues, stepping back with the right foot and stepping to the left side (feet parallel again), bringing right foot to left foot, then stepping back out with left foot. To allow for progress around the dance floor, the lead dancer would initiate the step, adding further variety with turns and runs.
Looking at the Quickstep, it may appear similar to the spinning figures common in a waltz. Listen to the music though, and you’ll be able to recognize that it’s not the waltz, but the Quickstep played in 4/4 time rather than the waltz in 3/4 time. Another indication that you are looking at the Quickstep is the fast and jazzy rhythm of the songs compared to the slow waltz song.
Today, most ballroom dance lessons include not only Quickstep, but also Tango, Foxtrot, Samba, Rumba, Jive, Cha Cha Cha, and Paso Doble. Tango is in 4/4 time and uses a mid-tempo type of orchestral music. The foxtrot is also in 4/4 time and its basic rhythm is slow fast fast, played to medium or slow jazz music. Samba features an exhilarating Latin rhythm with 2/4 time and is approximately 100 beats per minute, while Cha Cha Cha usually has a Latin rhythm but, unlike Samba, has a medium tempo of 128 beats per minute. . In the hand, or should I say foot, the rumba is a slow Latin ballad and its tempo is 104 beats per minute in 4/4 time. Jive is fast-moving swing-type music with 176 beats per minute. Finally, there is the pasodoble, its metric is 2/4 and the rhythm is similar to a march with a beat of one step and drama assimilated to bullfighting music.